My mother-in-law passed away two weeks ago. She had been suffering from dementia for a while and last month she caught pneumonia. She reminded in a serious condition for a month. I felt very sorry for her because she had to suffer from two diseases. Every time she became in a critical condition, my husband and I rushed to her facility in our hometown.

Her life was very dramatic. She was born in Japan but raised in Manchuria due to her father's job. He worked for the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and moved there with his family. When Japan lost the World War II, she returned to Japan with her family. Since her father lost his job, her mother had to support the family. Her father died in his 40's and her mother raised all their children on her own. My mother-in-law often said her mother was an incredibly hard worker.

She sometimes talked about Manchuria and her friends there. Her experiences were so different from those of my parents that her stories were fascinating for me to listen to.

She was good at cooking, embroidering, knitting and sawing. She also loved wearing kimonos because she was a haiku poet. She'd been teaching it for years. She once tried to teach me haiku but unfortunately, I wasn't interested in it at all.

After developing dementia, she moved into a nursing home. Next to the facility, there is a roubai three . Every February, it blooms pretty yellow flowers which has a wonderful fragrance. This year it bloomed again.

Since I love the sent, I decided to order a roubai tree for myself. It arrived just after my mother-in-law passed away. Lately, it's been raining every day, so I haven’t had a chance to plant it yet.

I’m sure I’ll think of my mother-in-law every time I see this tree.

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